This is what cricket has become. We are reaching the end of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25; three of the semifinalists have been selected, but all the talks revolve around the Indian Premier League (IPL). Mumbai and Vidarbha were going toe-to-toe at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur, but since several top stars like Jitesh Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, and Suryakumar Yadav were in action, the focus remained on IPL.
KKR & PBKS win big in SMAT
Fascinatingly, none of the stars mentioned above were even among the top five performers of the match. Mumbai won the quarterfinal and will face Baroda in the first semifinal. But the real winners were the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
PBKS’ Atharva Taide was the second-highest scorer in the Mumbai vs Vidarbha match. He gave his team a rollicking start and set the platform that Apoorv Wankhade and Shubham Dubey used to propel them to 221. Jitesh Sharma, captain of Vidarbha and new Royal Challengers Bengaluru member, played a small cameo 11(6) as well.
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KKR would be the happiest. The rumoured captain, Ajinkya Rahane, has continued his form and top-scored with a blistering 84(45). Rahane had already hit three half-centuries in six matches and notched up his fourth against Vidarbha. It has made him the fourth-highest run-getter of the SMAT 2024-25, and given all the batters above him are eliminated, he’ll likely end up with the most runs.
Prithvi Shaw and Shivam Dube also contributed to chasing down 222. Shaw smashed 49(26), missing out on his fifty by just one run. He went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction but might join a team as an injury replacement or late addition. Dube anchored them home with an important 37(22) and was aided by the brute hitting of Suryansh Shedge, who struck at 300 (36 off 12) and had earlier taken two wickets as well. Mumbai’s biggest stars, Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, failed to make a mark.
MUM vs VID: Brief Scores
Vidarbha: 221/6 (Atharva Taide 66, Apoorv Wankhade 51; Atharva Ankolekar 32/2, Suryansh Shedge 36/2)
Mumbai: 224/4 (Ajinkya Rahane 84, Prithvi Shaw 49; Dipesh Parwani 33/2, Harsh Dubey 36/1)
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